Doll limb joint for selectively allowing free rotation of limb or resisting same

ABSTRACT

A trapeze apparatus and doll wherein the doll may be played with independently of the trapeze apparatus and it then has a natural appearance and poseable arms. The trapeze has a rotatably mounted bar with a pair of holes for receiving thumbs of the doll hands so that the slightly cupped hands of the dolls can partially encircle and hold onto the bar, the doll hands having a natural appearance when the doll is played with independently of the trapeze. The doll arms have connectors joining them to the doll body, which can be snapped between a first position for free swinging of the arms on a trapeze and a second position for resisting swinging to enable posing of the arms. Each connector includes a shaft with an enlarged end that can be held in a swivel joint on the body wherein the arm bears against part of the body to prevent swinging, or that can be unsnapped outwardly to another position wherein the inner end of the arms do not contact the body and therefore are free to swing.

United States Patent Marason, Jr. et al.

[451 Oct. 31, 1972 DOLL LIMB JOINT FOR SELECTIVELY ALLOWING FREE ROTATION OF LIMB OR RESISTING SAME Assignee: Mattel, Inc., Hawthorne, Calif.

Filed: Oct. 5, 1971 Appl. No.: 186,626

US. Cl. ..46/163, 46/130, 46/173 Int. Cl. ..A63h 3/46, A63h 13/12 Field of Search ..46/16l,162,163, 173,130

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1957 Arenstein ..46/ 173 X 2/1960 Cohn ..46/l63 X 8/1963 Beebe ..46/161 12/1971 Johnson et al ..46/163 Primary ExaminerF. Barry Shay Attorney-Seymour A. Scholnick [57] ABSTRACT A trapeze apparatus and doll wherein the doll may be played with independently of the trapeze apparatus and it then has a natural appearance and poseable arms. The trapeze has a rotatably mounted bar with. a

pair of holes for receiving thumbs of the doll hands so that the slightly cupped'hands of the dolls can partially encircle and hold onto the bar, the doll hands having a natural appearance when the doll is played with independently of the trapeze. The doll arms have connectors joining them to the doll body, which can be snapped between a first position for free swinging of the arms on a trapeze and a second position for resisting swinging to enable posing of the arms. Each connector includes a shaft with an enlarged end that can be held in'a swivel joint on the body wherein the arm bears against part of the body to prevent swinging, or that can be unsnapped outwardly to another position body and therefore are free to swing.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures DOLL LIMB JOINT FOR SELECTIVELY ALLOWING FREE ROTATION OF LIMB OR RESISTING SAME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to dolls and doll accessories. Dolls of highly realistic appearance that represent older children or young adults, often referred to as fashion dolls, have become very popular toys. Doll accessories that enable play with a doll to simulate activities that older children or young adults might engage in, have also proven to be entertaining toys. One type of accessory is a swing or trapeze of a type that one might expect to find in a playground. Of course, many types of trapeze and doll arrangements are known, but they generally require the use of a doll that either cannot be removed from the trapeze or whose hands have an unnatural appearance when removed. Furthermore, the need for free swinging of arms for a doll on a trapeze is inconsistant with the requirement for most fashion dolls that their arms be poseable, that is, that the arms be capable of retaining any position to which they are moved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a doll and trapeze-like swing combination is provided, wherein the doll hands have a natural appearance when removed from the trapeze bar and the doll arms may be made poseable when played with apart from the trapeze. The trapeze bar has a pair of holes to enable grasping by doll hands of natural appearance, and the bar is rotatably mounted on the hangers that are suspended from the support. The doll hands have thumbs that can be received in the bar holes, and have partially cupped hands that can partially encircle the bar to hold on to it. The thumb and finger portions of the hands are constructed of resilient material to facilitate installation and removal from the bar.

Each arm of the doll is joined by a connector assembly to a shoulder portion of the doll. The connector assembly includes a shaft fixed to an inner end of the arm and having an enlarged outer end, and a pair of bearing walls fixed to the doll body and pivotally engaging the shaft. The enlarged outer end of the shaft can be held in a first position by a spherical bearing hole formed in one of the walls or can be snapped to a second position where it is pivotally held between the two walls. In the first position, the doll arm bears against part of the doll body to prevent free swinging of the arms so they can be posed. In the second position, the doll arm does not bear against portions of the doll body and therefore can freely swing to enable swinging of the doll on the trapeze. A child may snap the connectors between the two positions to enable realistic play of the doll on the trapeze or away from it.

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a doll and trapeze apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

. FIG. 2 is a partially, enlarged sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view of the area 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 55 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the doll and trapeze apparatus of FIG. 1, showing the manner in which the doll may swing thereon.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 illustrates apparatus of the invention which includes a doll 10 and a trapeze-like swing 12. The swing 12 is held above the ground by a support frame 14 which may be part of a playground equipment set or other device. The apparatus is constructed so that the dollcan not only move in an entertaining manner on the swing, but is appropriate for play independently of the swing. In particular, the hands 16, 18 of the doll are formed in a manner that appears natural when the doll is not grasping the swing. Also, the arms 20, 22 of the doll can freely swing with respect to the body 24 when the doll is playing on the swing, and yet the arms can be posed at any desired position when the doll is played with apart from the swing. The doll 10 may be of a type that realistically represents an older child or adult, which is a doll type often referred to as a fashion doll.

Referring also to the other FIGS. 2-6, the swing 12 is shown to include a pair of laterally spaced hangers 26, 28 whose upper portions are fixed to a spacer member 29 and pivotally mounted on the swing support 14. A trapeze bar 30 that extends horizontally between the lower portions of the hangers, has opposite end portions 32, 34 pivotally mounted on the hangers. The bar has two thumb-receiving holes, 36, 38 for receiving the thumbs of the doll hands. Each of the doll hands 16, 18 has a thumb 40, 42 that can fit into one of the thumbreceiving holes, and a partially cupped multiple finger portion 44, 46 that can partially encircle the bar.

Each of the doll hands, such as the hand 16 shown in FIG. 4, can be installed on the swing by inserting the thumb 40 into the hole 36 in the bar, and allowing the finger portion 44 to partially encircle the bar so as to prevent removal of the hand. The thumb 40 and finger portion 44 of the hand are constructed of material that is flexible enough to allow them to separate slightly as the finger portion 44 moves onto the bar. Most of the ordinary plastics used in injection molding of the doll hands are resilient enough to permit such deflection. A child can easily supply sufficient force to install or remove the hand, and need only push or pull the hand since the rounded bar 30 then causes separation of the thumb and finger portion.

The configuration of the hand 16 with the finger portion 44 partially cupped and the thumb 40 extending almost straight out, provides a relatively natural appearance even when the doll is not installed on the bar. This can be compared with typical swinging doll apparatus available heretofore, wherein the hand of the doll including the thumb was formed to encircle a round bar, which resulted in an unnatural appearance when the doll was removed from the trapeze bar. In such prior art devices, such encirclement was often resorted to because the trapeze bar was not mounted for rotation independently of its hangers, so that the doll hands had to rotate on the bar. In the swing of the present invention, the' bar 30 is rotatably mounted with respect to the rest of the swing, so that the doll hands do not have to rotate relative to the bar, and therefore can be held in the manner illustrated.

The swing bar 30 is designed to enable removal from the hangers 26, 28 by passing the bar ends through enlarged upper portions of slots 48 formed in the hangers. One end of the bar forms a wheel 50 that can be turned by a child to swing or flip over the doll on the swing. The doll can swing in a highly acrobatic manner, as shown in FIG. 6, with the swing pivoting and the doll pivoting relative to the swing hangers.

In order to provide an acrobatic effect, the doll arms 20,22 must freely pivot with respect to the body 24. However, when the doll is removed from the swing and played with independently, it is generally desirable that the arms be poseable, that is, that the arms retain any position to which they are oriented. In accordance with the present invention, connector assemblies or connectors 52, 54 (FIG. 2) are provided for joining the doll arms to the doll body, in a manner that permits rapid changing by a child between a free swinging action for play on the swing and a poseable action for play with the doll independently of the swing. Each of the connectors, such as the connector '52 shown in FIG. 3, includes a shaft 56 having an inner end 58 mounted at a constant position on the inner end I of the arm, and having an enlarged outer end 60. The inner end 58 is pivotally mounted on the doll arms to pivot about an axis 64 and the arm has a slot 62 that permits pivoting about the axis 64 by about 90. A bearing member 66 mounted on the doll body has a pair of walls 68, 70 with holes 72, 74 therein that can receive the shaft 56. One of the holes 72 is substantially cylindrical, while the other hole 74 has a largely spherical, or compoundly concave, curvature. The enlarged outer end 60 of the shaft can be received either in the hole 74 as shown in FIG. 3, or between the two walls 68, 70 as shown in FIG. 2. In either case, the enlarged outer end 60 cannot readily move from one configuration to the other because wall portions 76, 78 that form the hole 74 will not let the shaft end readily pass therethrough. However, the wall portions 76, 78 are resiliently biased towards one another and can be forced to separate if a child pushes the shaft to snap it from one position to the other.

When the enlarged outer shaft end 60 is held in the spherical bearing hole 74, portions of the inner end 20I of the doll arm bear against walls of the doll body at points 80, 82. This interference prevents free swinging of the doll arm, and therefore makes the arm poseable. That is, the arm retains whatever position it has been pivoted to. However, when a child pulls the arm outwardly so that the enlarged end 60 of the shaft unsnaps to the position shown in FIG. 2, wherein it lies between the walls 68, 70, the inner end 201 of the doll arm is spaced from the walls of the doll body, and therefore the arm 20 is substantially free to pivot on the doll body. Accordingly, the doll then can substantially freely swing on the trapeze in the manner indicated in FIG. 6.

Thus, the invention provides a doll of natural appearance that can be converted by a child from one configuration wherein the doll arms are freely swingable on the body for play on the trapeze, and another configuration wherein the arms are not freely swingable on the body and therefore can be posed. The doll hands are constructed in a configuration that appears natural even when the doll is played with independently of the swing, because the thumb extends substantially straight out and the finger portion is only partially cupped. The trapeze-like swing can readily receive the doll and allow it to swing in an entertaining manner. This is provided for by constructing the swing with a bar that has a pair of thumb-receiving holes for receiving the thumbs of the doll hands and with convex bar portions near the thumb-receiving holes to enable partial encirclement by the cupped hands of the doll. The swing bar is pivotally mounted on the hangers of the swing, to enable entertaining swinging of the doll on the swing.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art, and consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.

What is claimed is:

1. A figure toy comprising:

a body with an opening for receiving a limb;

a limb having an inner end for reception in said opening, and

means for connecting said body and limb, said means comprising a connector assembly including a body-held connector fixed to said body within said opening and a limb-held connector fixed to said limb inner end, a first one of said connectors defining two bearing stations at different distances from said opening and the other of said connectors engageable with said first connector to hold it at either of said stations thereof, said two stations located so that when said second connector is held at one of said stations said limb bears against the wall of said body opening to prevent free swinging of the limb, and when said second connector is held at the other of said stations, said limb is substantially free to swing relative to said body, and said connector assembly being formed to resist free movement of said second connector between said bearing stations.

2. The figure toy described in claim 1 wherein:

said second connector is mounted on said limb and includes a shaft with an enlarged rounded end; and

said first connector is mounted in said body and has a pair of spaced bearing walls defining said two stations, said bearing walls having aligned openings for receiving said shaft, a first of said openings, which is spaced further from said limb than the other, having partially spherical bearing walls to retain said rounded end of said shaft.

3. In a doll with a body and an arm, the improvement comprising:

means for connecting said body and arm, said means including a shaft mounted on an inner end of said arm, said shaft having an enlarged outer end; and

first and second connector walls mounted on said doll body, said first wall having portions forming a bearing hole with a double concave surface for retaining said enlarged outer end of said shaft against free removal therefrom while permitting pivoting of said outer end of said shaft therein, and said second wall located between said first wall and said arm and having a hole through which said shaft extends, said hole in said second wall being smaller than the enlarged outer end of said shaft to prevent withdrawal of said enlarged outer end therethrough, and said first and second walls spaced apart to receive said enlarged outer end of said shaft between them;

the portions of said first wall forming said bearing hole being resilient to permit forceable removal of said enlarged shaft outer end therefrom by a child, so that the shaft outer end can lie between said first and second walls, whereby to provide two distinct positions of said arm relative to said body.

4. The improvement described in claim 3 wherein:

said body and arm have interferable portions that bear against one another when said shaft outer end is held by the double-concave surface of said bearing hole of said first wall, said interferable portions being spaced from one another when said shaft outer end is between said first and second walls. 

1. A figure toy comprising: a body with an opening for receiving a limb; a limb having an inner end for reception in said opening, and means for connecting said body and limb, said means comprising a connector assembly including a body-held connector fixed to said body within said opening and a limb-held connector fixed to said limb inner end, a first one of said connectors defining two bearing stations at different distances from said opening and the other of said connectors engageable with said first connector to hold it at either of said stations thereof, said two stations located so that when said second connector is held at one of said stations said limb bears against the wall of said body opening to prevent free swinging of the limb, and when said second connector is held at the other of said stations, said limb is substantially free to swing relative to said body, and said connector assembly being formed to resist free movement of said second connector between said bearing stations.
 2. The figure toy described in claim 1 wherein: said second connector is mounted on said limb and includes a shaft with an enlarged rounded end; and said first connector is mounted in said body and has a pair of spaced bearing walls defining said two stations, said bearing walls having aligned openings for receiving said shaft, a first of said openings, which is spaced further from said limb than the other, having partially spherical bearing walls to retain said rounded end of said shaft.
 3. In a doll with a body and an arm, the improvement comprising: means for connecting said body and arm, said means including a shaft mounted on an inner end of said arm, said shaft having an enlarged outer end; and first and second connector walls mounted on said doll body, said first wall having portions forming a bearing hole with a double concave surface for retaining said enlarged outer end of said shaft against free removal therefrom while permitting pivoting of said outer end of said shaft therein, and said second wall located between said first wall and said arm and having a hole through which said shaft extends, said hole in said second wall being smaller than the enlarged outer end of said shaft to prevent withdrawal of said enlarged outer end therethrough, and said first and second walls spaced apart to receive said enlarged outer end of said shaft between them; the portions of said first wall forming said bearing hole being resilient to permit forceable removal of said enlarged shaft outer end therefrom by a child, so that the shaft outer end can lie between said first and second walls, whereby to provide two distinct positions of said arm relative to said body.
 4. The improvement described in claim 3 wherein: said body and arm have interferable portions that bear against one another when said shaft outer end is held by the double-concave surface of said bearing hole of said first wall, said interferable portions being spaced from one another when said shaft outer end is between said first and second walls. 